Final Verdict
by Personality Test
Summary: Psycho-Pass AU. The time Ayano died marked the beginning of the end. Kano is lost in denial and bargaining; Kido can't get past depression and blind hatred; and Shintaro will never, ever reach acceptance. ShinAya, KanoKido, AU. Fiat justitia ruat caelum.
1. He will never make it in time

A/N: Merry Christmas, everyone, and happy birthday to Haruka xD And since it's technically my birthday (the 25th) in my country right now, happy birthday to me ^o^ I finally got around to making a Psycho-Pass AU...although the first five or so chapters will have very little to do with actual MWSPB-ing. Of course, in the spirit of not making this a crossover, no Psycho-Pass characters will appear with the exception of Sibyl (because I just can't kick it out without major changes to worldbuilding).

This is just a prologue of sorts and probably a chance for me to amp up the overdramatic meter xD I'll judge the feedback and see if it's worth continuing.

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><p>"'<em>Happiness is a curious thing.'<em>

_That's what she always said to me, to all of us. Always, she would say that with a smile on her face._

_How I wish we can hear her say that phrase, just one more time."_

Black clouds loomed ahead; lightning flashed above them, as if mourning the dead together in this small, pitiful funeral.

The rain…was so annoying. The people dressed in black looking solemn, the garden of pure white flowers blooming around her smiling face…they all looked like an illusion.

_'But Ayano Tateyama is no longer with us. This is the indisputable, heartbreaking truth.'_

Of course, they couldn't be anything but an illusion. Because she was not dead, because his beloved sister couldn't be dead.

And so, he wouldn't accept what was happening before his eyes. He wouldn't acknowledge the cold rain assaulting his face. He refused to feel the tears running down his and his siblings' cheeks.

That was right. The people in black with their faces hidden under a black umbrella, crowding around the wooden coffin and sobbing; the coffin being lowered into the ground together with her smiling face, and the marble tombstone amidst fresh grass – they weren't real. They weren't real. He would never accept it.

"Enough."

And before Kano knew it, he was face to face with Kido. Like everyone else, she was crying and looking at him with desperate pity. Seto stood behind her with his umbrella raised high, shielding them all from the downpour. He, too, was crying, but there was no need to cry. Because…this was nothing but an illusion. Any moment and he would wake up from this poisonous dream.

_'We have no choice but to accept that she's gone. But as long as we remember her, she will never be truly gone. She will forever remain in our hearts.'_

"Enough already…" Kido tried to punch him, but her hand fell short and she collapsed on his shoulder. "Stop trying to pretend nothing happened. Look at the reality around you! She's dead, Shuuya –" And for a first time in a long while, he jolted at the sound of his first name. "And no amount of denial is going to bring her back! Do you understand me?"

"T-Tsubomi, please calm down…" Seto tried to pull her back. "Let's…try to think…rationally…"

He couldn't even finish his sentence. He, too, was choking on his own words.

Why didn't they believe? Couldn't they believe in reality, that their sister was alive and well? That had to be the reason why Kisaragi Shintaro was not here. If Ayano-nee was really dead, there was no way Kisaragi would miss her funeral. He would be the person standing by the headstone to give her eulogy. He would be among the weeping guests, clinging to her picture for dear life.

That was right. Everyone else was being tricked. Kisaragi knew the truth, and now, so did Kano.

Ayano-nee was definitely alive. He just had to believe in her.

_'Farewell, my dear Ayano. You are everything a father could have asked for, and though it pains me to say goodbye so soon, I wish...'_ Kenjirou couldn't hold back a sob. Several others either was trying to blink back their tears or were openly weeping.

How laughable.

_'I wish that wherever you are, you are happy. That is...my only wish for you.'_

"Do you truly believe that? What you're thinking?"

Standing right next to him with her black lace umbrella, looking just like a gothic princess, was a black-haired girl. She looked like she was only twelve years old, and yet her mocking voice was nothing like a child's.

"Who…are you?" He asked. He had never seen this girl before. She was too old to be in Ayano-nee's kindergarten class, and too young to be attending a funeral without adult supervision. And something about her voice…

"I'm a kindred spirit of hers," the girl laughed. "You may call me Azami. Or don't – I doubt you'll see me again. But we're straying from the point. Do you believe Ayano Tateyama is alive?"

"Of…of course!" He shouted indignantly. "Do you really think Kisaragi Shintaro would miss his own wife's funeral?"

By now, he'd attracted some strange looks from the crowd. Many people were turning their heads to his direction to see what the commotion was about. Seto and Kido had stepped back to watch the events playing out.

But Kano didn't care about anyone else. Right now, it was him against Azami, in a battle to protect the truth he believed in.

_Ayano-nee is definitely alive._

"You're asking why Kisaragi Shintaro isn't here?" Azami looked amused, but at the same time, her voice held a tinge of sadness and pity. "It's already too late for that idiotic man. It took him too long to understand."

"Understand…what?"

"That he didn't make it in time to save her. And no matter how hard he tries, he will never be able to save her. That's why he won't come to Ayano's funeral. He will _never_ make it in time."

At that exact moment, the chapel bell resounds in the air, as if signaling an end to this farce. The wind howls in his ears, and for a moment all Kano can hear is the sound of rain and the trees rustling around them –

And, the moment he opens his eyes once more…Azami was gone.

_End of Prologue._

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><p>AN: Sheesh, Kano, you just have to snap, don't you? Quick, someone throw him in a mental hospital.

There's probably a decent amount of foreshadowing in here if you squint; not enough to solve the entire plot, but enough to guess where the story will go. So where do you think the story is heading? Does this prologue sound interesting? Should I continue it? Reviews or PMs are both fine; please tell me what you think! Happy holidays, everyone, and thanks for reading!


	2. Welcome back to the living

A/N: So I guess for such a lackluster prologue this kind of reaction is pretty good. Consider this the legitimate first chapter of FV, then. But this time my update schedule is gonna be all kinds of screwed because I'm juggling around five things at once and those plot bunnies just keep coming *sigh* And around four out of five of them are pretty dark. Just the new one, man...I legit cackled when I wrote the plot of that one. It's _that_ evil.

Oops, I better get back on topic. Thank you **Tiffy-Chan858** for being my first reviewer ^o^ and I'd like to thank everyone who read, favorited and followed this little piece as well. Please take care of me from now on! (or maybe saying outright in Japanese どうもよろしくお願いします would be better and less awkward-sounding?) Oh dear, I really should stop taking up space and get to the chapter already...

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><p>Chapter 1: Welcome back to the living<em><br>_

.

.

.

_One year later_

Kano squints his eyes and takes a good look at himself in the mirror.

His face is still gaunt, a little pale, and his eyes a little sunken, but otherwise it seems like he hasn't changed at all. He's had Seto cut his hair a few weeks ago, when the Inspector dropped by to visit. He's started to eat again (well, the food in the rehabilitation center still sucks anyway) and is actually wearing the familiar MWSPB uniform again after so long.

For a danger to society with a Crime Coefficient of – he steals a glance at the blinking monitor – 187.5 for today, that's probably not so bad.

With nothing left to do, Kano finds himself heading towards the only dark-colored object in the otherwise pristine jail cell. The suitcase is filled to the rim with books, most of which are mystery and science fiction novels. In this place where there is nothing else to do other than banging his head to the walls like some of the nutjobs around, even these old-fashioned, worn-out books are a godsend. Besides, he likes these ones. Kido certainly knows how to pick them.

Then again, even if these are all interesting, Kano doesn't feel like reading any of them. For the past year, he's read all those books around five times already. He'd wanted more, but it's not like he can browse around the market from this place. Besides, Seto probably doesn't know what kind he likes and Kido never comes back to visit.

She's stopped visiting around five months ago for who-knows-what reasons, and Seto was awfully edgy whenever he asked about it. Well, the Inspector did confirm that she's alive, but that was all Kano got out of him.

He runs his finger along the spines of the familiar books one more time, and then plops back on the bed with a sigh. After so long in the rehabilitation center, Kano can't wait to return to the field. Even acting as a hunting dog for Sibyl beats standing around in an asylum being bored out of his mind.

"Hey, useless," he says out loud. Outside, a female-looking Comisa stops in front of his cell door and turns its frozen smile his way in inquiry. "What's today's date?"

"Today's date is August 8th! It's time to get up!" The robot cheerfully answered in its creepy Moe-like voice. "Be sure to work on purifying your Hue!"

"Yeah, yeah…" he mutters. Sensing that he's done asking, the Comisa leaves to check on the other prisoners, its high-pitched voice fading in the background.

Kano knows the date, of course - today is the day they will finally let him out of this cage. He just likes messing with the stupid robots, since those things they say are ridiculous to begin with.

The cell to his left has a guy constantly banging his head on a padded wall, and that crazy suicide attempt is actually succeeding. They really should change the bloodied padding in that guy's room soon. The guy to his right is curled up in a blanket hugging a worn teddy bear and occasionally gnawing on it.

And they are only two out of roughly five hundred inmates. These people wouldn't be purifying their Hue any time soon, that's for sure.

"Knock knock," a gentle voice that was unmistakably Seto's sounds from outside his cell door. Kano looks away from the ceiling to glance at the smiling Inspector. "Shuuya, are you there?"

"Here," he half-heartedly answers and refocuses his eyes on the blindingly white ceiling. "And I told you not to call me that."

"I'm going to anyway." The Inspector answers, too used to this to mind. "How do you feel?"

Kano rolls his eyes and scoffs softly. "Dark yellow. But you probably already knew that."

"Hmm. Are you sure about this, Shuuya? You can always stay here and work on clearing your Hue." Seto looks concerned, like he always tends to do.

He has a reason to, of course. After what Kano has done last time…

'_Your Hue has changed. It is now light brown,'_ the robotic voice cheerfully informs him from the speaker overhead, startling the both of them. The lights are dimming to an alarming shade of blood; gas is starting to pour out from the vents, making his vision blurrier with each second…

"It's better for you not to remember, Shuuya." Seto advises, trying to sound calm even though he looks frantic. "Just focus on my voice. It wouldn't do you any good to remember, do you understand me?"

Remember…

That day one year ago. A few weeks after Ayano-nee's sham of a funeral.

His Crime Coefficient had always been high, to the point that he became an Enforcer just at sixteen years old. But after her death, it nearly _doubled_ in just two weeks. He began to get in arguments with his coworkers, especially Kisaragi, and after it nearly escalated to a full-out brawl, Kisaragi decided to throw him in the facility for a while.

_Better that than get blown up,_ the man told him, the day the glass doors closed behind his back and never opened again. _You haven't outlived your usefulness. Besides, I'm sure she wouldn't have wanted you dead._

Come to think of it, maybe that guy did him a favor that time. Kano can't die yet. He promised Ayano-nee he wouldn't throw his life away. He still has to live. He won't stay at this prison.

"I…" he manages to crack out a weak smile. "Do you think…I'll go down this easily?"

What a joke. He's gotten used to this kind of nerve gas. Soon enough he will be completely immune to it; too bad he's not staying here any longer. The gas is clearing up, and Kano's field of vision is starting to get sharper. He can even see Seto's face now – clearly relieved but still a little worried.

"Are you okay, Shuuya?"

"Y-Yeah, this is nothing." He finally manages to sit up, trying his best to look unfettered.

Seto doesn't even hide his sigh. "I'm glad. Still, this means you shouldn't go outside just –"

"No!" He yells and lunges forward to face the man, his nails skittering on the glass doors as if he was clawing at a chalkboard. "I have to! You don't understand…you don't understand! I can't stay here! _I can't stay here_!"

Somewhere in the corner of his mind he hears the automated voice again, followed by alarms blaring, but the Inspector quickly stops them with a snap of his fingers.

He wonders why that guy stopped the alarms, why Seto didn't just shut him back in this cell for another year because Kano is clearly anything but stable and fit for duty.

Judging from the black-haired man's stunned look, in that split second…maybe he saw something in Kano's expression. Something the blond has never showed anyone, not even when _she _died.

_That's right…_

_I don't care what I become. _

_Even if I have to become Sibyl's watchdog again, even if I have to lie and murder and be executed…_

_I have something I need to do. A mission I need to accomplish. A promise I made one year ago._

Offhandedly, he wonders if Seto could guess what he was thinking. That guy is surprisingly good at it, it's almost like he can read his mind. But of course it's impossible. If Seto can read his mind right now, he would point his Dominator at Kano and end his life once and for all.

This plan…will destroy everything Sibyl has and will ever work for in the future. It will be a poison that slowly corrodes the beast. The Sibyl System would finally die out, and no innocent will ever have to die like Ayano-nee ever again. And even if Kano failed, it would definitely not be in vain. If nothing else, he will be able to clear the way for someone strong enough to land the vital hit.

His only regret is that…Seto, the kind-hearted and gentle pacifist he is, will have to watch everything from the front row seat. The same goes for Kano's family, his only companions ever since he was locked up in the MWSPB Headquarters. Some of them may not even make it out alive. But then again, it would be a small price to pay to take down Sibyl and save Ayano-nee…right?

_Even then…I'm sorry. I really am. _

"I understand." Seto nods, his voice strangely calm now that it's clear that Kano isn't acting up again. "I imagine you have already packed up? Tsubomi will be glad to see you again."

"You mean she'll beat the shit out of me for being an idiot and darkening my Hue." He smirks, trying to lighten the mood.

"I wonder." Seto's rueful smile scares him for a second. "Let's go. Welcome back to the living."

And Kano cracks a smile, because that was what he'd always said about the facility - that it was a world of zombies and even though Sibyl's order is a crapsack one, it was at least a world of the living. The black-haired man taps some kind of code on the screen; the door slides open.

Kano takes a deep breath and, shakily, as if he was stepping into unfamiliar territory…takes his first step outside the cell.

Behind him, the light shuts off, and for the first time in what feels like forever, he is no longer insane. He's no longer trapped in that hellhole.

He doesn't look back at the padded walls, the single bed and monitor – all a pure white color – that has been his world for the past year. He passes by the Loading Services robots and the army of Comisa with barely a glance. He doesn't even hear the calming, annoying melody this facility always plays like a broken record.

The only thing he sees is Sibyl. The perfect system, and the ugliness that hides within. The hideous, unnatural, artificial thing that killed countless innocents and took his beloved sister away.

_In due time, Sibyl. _

_There's no need to hurry. _

_We will wait forever, until the day when you finally find your way to your execution grounds. And then, at the end of your pathetic existence, we will be there to give you the burial you deserve. _

_There is no need to hurry. _

_We are very patient, after all. Those who have no one left to live for often are. _

_And so, please wait as well. _

_You will finally be able to die, a slow, painless death. _

_Goodbye, Sibyl. _

_«Have a nice dream. See you in hell.»_

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><p>The Division I office looks just as he remembers. Cluttered with cardboard boxes – they generally hold nothing but pink foam peanuts now that the rest of the Enforcers have finished setting up the equipment, but some old sod just can't be bothered to throw these boxes out. With these things around the spacious, supposedly-high-tech office looks rather like an attic, and the messily wired computers, scattered reports and steel-plated, windowless walls don't really help. This feels like the rehabilitation center all over again.<p>

Well, at least Kano doesn't have to imagine some friends to talk to here. Speaking of which, one of them is sauntering towards him right now…

"Heya, Kano, you finally crawled your way out of the asylum, huh? How does it feel to be back?" Takane grins and ushers him forward. "Does it feel like coming back from the dead?"

He gives her a quick once-over. Takane, too, has remained mostly unchanged. She has a few worry lines under her tired eyes to prove her age, and the Styrofoam cup of espresso she's clutching in her hand tells him she hasn't slept for a week straight. She's probably not on shift today, since she's wearing her 'Cyber A.I.' Holo – which consists of a black schoolgirl skirt, black knee-length socks, an oversized blue jersey that's twice as big as her small body, cyan contacts and blue hair styled into twin tails.

"It does." He answers honestly. It feels like the past year has been nothing but a long nightmare – one that Kano would never want to relive again; and if he has his way, he definitely never will. "It's good to see you again. I mean it."

"Don't go soft on me, now." Takane manages to fire back after a moment of stunned surprise. "I'd hate to warm up to you after all the bloody prank wars we've been through."

"Hmm." Despite himself, Kano smiles and looks around the mostly deserted office. "Where's everyone else? Who's on shift today?"

"They're all on a coffee break. I brought my own coffee – can't really stand that disgusting vending machine stuff – so I stay to keep an eye on the place. Seto did tell you that when he left for the cafeteria and directed you here, right?"

Ah, right, Seto might have said something. At that time, Kano was too elated at seeing the MWSPB building again to care. "I wasn't listening. So if you're the Inspector in charge today, who else are on shift?"

"…Huh?" Takane's smile dies on her lips, and Kano instantly knows he's said something wrong. "You…don't know?"

He tries to sound as nonchalant as possible. "Of course I don't. I've just managed to crawl out of that hell hole, haven't I? If this is a joke, it's not very funny. I can pull off tricks way better than this."

"No…no, it's not a joke, Kano." Takane slowly sets her cup down on a nearby table, trying her best to calm her trembling hand and keep it steady. "I'm not an Inspector anymore. I've been demoted to an Enforcer. I guess, her death…affected us more than we thought, huh?"

That said, she swipes her index finger on her watch, and a screen detailing her Hue flickers into existence.

Medium blue. Crime Coefficient 116.

Enomoto, Takane  
>Enforcer<br>Division I

"W…Who else?" He finally tears his eyes off the blue color on the screen and look at the blue-haired girl, who looks like she's trying her best not to burst into tears.

"There's –" she begins, but before Takane can finish her sentence, the double doors slide open. Two figures walk in the office, each holding a cup of coffee. Kisaragi Shintaro hasn't changed at all – still the same deadened eyes, scruffy suit and unruly black hair; and next to him is a girl he knows all too well.

It…can't be. She's supposed to be safe in a culinary school or working as a Sibyl-authorized chef in a high-class restaurant. She should be anywhere but here.

'_You mean she'll beat the shit out of me for being an idiot and darkening my Hue.'_

'_I wonder.'_

This is what Seto meant.

Kido will never be able to blame him for darkening his Hue – not when she's gone and done the same herself. She's let herself stoop so low as to work for Sibyl, even when that filthy system has had a hand in their sister's murder.

Just looking at her in her neat, standard MWSPB uniform makes his blood boil.

With this, the System has ruined every semblance of normal life Kano can ever have. Kido and Ayano-nee were supposed to be the only ones that have nothing to do with this corruption, and now…one is gone. The other is right in the heart of the system, probably has been for a year. Sibyl's gotten its hands on Kido, too.

"Good morning. It's…it's great to see you again,…Kano." She says a little uncertainly, aware of the tension in the air, and holds out her free hand. "I'm glad you're my colleague. Please take care of me from now on."

He can't stand it anymore.

He doesn't shake her hand. He stalks out of the stuffy office, brushing her aside as he goes, leaving a stunned and possibly hurt Kido behind. He doesn't turn around, even when he hears what sounds like a choked sob and feels Kisaragi's eyes boring into his back, silently questioning and judging.


End file.
